Department for Transport

Civil Aviation Authority 2021 Progress Report

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: My Honourable Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Transport (Robert Courts) has made the following Ministerial Statement:During the passage of the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021 through Parliament, Ministers confirmed that the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) annual progress report on the Airspace Modernisation Strategy would be published, and a copy placed in the Libraries of both Houses accompanied by a Written Ministerial Statement (WMS).The Airspace Modernisation Strategy sets out, through 15 initiatives, ways and means of modernising airspace, initially focussing on the period until the end of 2024. The initiatives include airspace design, operational concepts and new technology.Six of the 15 initiatives are assessed as on track, and five initiatives require further work. The delayed timescales of delivery against the original plans set out in the Airspace Modernisation Strategy have predominantly shifted because of ongoing recovery of the aviation industry from the COVID-19 pandemic.Four initiatives will need further legislation on Performance Based Navigation and Air Traffic Management, core elements of the Airspace Modernisation Strategy. The Department for Transport will be taking legislation forward this year to ensure continued progress to the overall Airspace Modernisation Strategy programme.Key areas of progress have been noted within Free Route Airspace (initiative 2), remobilisation of the Future Airspace Strategy Implementation South and North airspace change programmes made possible by Government funding (initiatives 4 and 5) and initiatives 9, 10 and 11 on aligning air traffic provision with international standards, review of airspace classification and electronic conspicuity respectively.There has also been progress with the Airspace Change Organising Group submitting Iteration 2 of their Masterplan - which will set out where airspace changes need to be coordinated and developed - for assessment by the CAA.Chapter 2 provides an update from the co-sponsors on policy and regulatory process, with a particular emphasis on stakeholder engagement activity undertaken as part of the Airspace Modernisation Strategy refresh and the re-introduction of the Airspace Modernisation Strategy Support Fund. Strategic risks have also been flagged within this chapter, predominantly concerning future delivery model, financing, and resourcing of the modernisation programme.Chapter 3 provides updates related specifically to activities under the Airspace Modernisation Strategy, undertaken within areas of particular interest from the General Aviation and Communities stakeholder groups.I will place a copy of the Airspace Modernisation – 2021 Progress Report in the libraries of both HousesAirspace Modernisation – 2021 Progress Report  (pdf, 1304.7KB)

Department for Education

School Improvement

Baroness Barran: The Department for Education will today publish a Government response to the public consultation on reforming how local authorities’ school improvement functions are funded.The Government response summarises responses and notes that Government will proceed to implementing the proposals consulted on. These are (i) that the local authority school improvement monitoring and brokering grant, forecast to be worth c.£42m in 2022-23 (based on October 2021 funding levels), will be reduced by 50%, (to c.£21m), for financial year 2022-23, prior to full removal in financial year 2023-24; and (ii) that provision will be included in the School and Early Years Finance (England) Regulations 2022 to instead allow local authorities to deduct funding for local authorities’ core school improvement activities from maintained school budgets.These changes should be viewed in the context of Government continuing to deliver year-on-year, real terms per pupil increases to school funding, as the recent spending review invests an additional £4.7bn in the core schools budget by 2024-25, including significant additional funding for high needs. Taking DSG allocations together with the £1.2 bn new Schools Supplementary Grant announced in December 2021, mainstream school budgets are due to see an average 5.8% year-on-year per pupil cash increase in 2022-23, with every local authority forecast to see at least a 4.7% increase per pupil.I will place a copy of the Government response in the Libraries of both Houses.

Home Office

Government response to the Protect Duty consultation

Baroness Williams of Trafford: My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Priti Patel) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:Between 26 February and 2 July 2021, the Government consulted on proposals for the Protect Duty, whereby certain venues and organisations would be required to consider terrorist threats and reasonable mitigations to these. Yesterday, the Government published a document outlining the responses to the public consultation. The consultation sought the views of those organisations and venues potentially within the scope of the Protect Duty, as to how we can work together to develop appropriate security measures to improve public security. It put forward criteria and thresholds for inclusion, and considered how responsible parties for public places could consider threats, and appropriate proportionate mitigating action. It also considered what support would be required to fulfil the requirements of the Duty, and what oversight and sanctions would be appropriate were there to be non-compliance. There was an excellent response to the consultation with 2,755 responses being received via an online survey or e-mail. There were also over 80 virtual engagement events undertaken with representatives from a wide range of organisations responsible for public places. There was broad support in the consultation responses that those responsible for public places should take appropriate and proportionate measures to protect the public from attacks, and to prepare their staff to respond appropriately. There were a wide range of views as to who a potential legislative requirement should apply to, and what they should be required to do. The Government is carefully considering policy proposals in light of the views raised in the consultation, in particular, how a legislative requirement could further improve public security, whilst not placing an undue burden on organisations which are smaller in size or staffed by volunteers, such as places of worship. Legislative proposals will be taken forward when Parliamentary time allows. A copy of the consultation response document will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.